Chapter 73: The Scent of Suspicion

“Are you okay?”

Olivia’s gaze shot up to meet Jason’s. His face was etched with concern, his eyes probing hers for an explanation. ~Oh no~. Why did he look so worried?

“Excuse me?”

“You seemed lost.”

“R-right. I-I had a tough night. Insomnia.” The truth was, every muscle in her body was aching. Maya’s training sessions were no joke.

She didn’t want to whine about it because she had asked for this, but ~damn~ she was unfit. And here she thought being a werewolf would give her some advantage. She couldn’t have been more wrong. She was ~years~ behind Alex and Maya.

Alex had drawn her a warm bath, which had helped, but only to an extent. Every time she moved or twitched in her sleep, the pain would jolt her awake, and then it would take her ~ages~ to drift back to sleep.

It hadn’t been a good night. Eventually, Alex had joined her, and she’d tried her best to stay still. He needed the rest. She had never seen him so exhausted; dark circles marred his usually bright eyes.

So, she had lain quietly on his chest, hoping her presence would soothe him—~and it had~.

Then morning arrived, and he’d left her in Jason’s care.

Who seemed ~extremely~ anxious about it.

He had asked her about five times what she wanted for breakfast. And then he’d double-checked another five times that it was okay. At some point, she’d zoned out, sleep threatening to take over, and apparently, that had sent him into a frenzy.

“Do you want to rest?” His eyes widened momentarily. “I’ll wait outside the room.” His voice wavered, and she knew he was worried she might misinterpret his words. She didn’t.

Could Alex really be so intimidating that Jason was trembling like this? Sure, he was the alpha, but—~wow~.

“No, I’m fine. If I nap now, I won’t be able to sleep later.” She didn’t want to cause any more worry.

A few cups of coffee, and she’d be as good as new.

“~Good morning!~” ~At the sound of the cheerful voice, they both looked up to see Lina sliding open the patio door, a basket in her hand. “Hi, you two!”~

“Hi Lina,” Olivia responded while Jason simply nodded.

“It smells delicious in here!”

“Jason made pancakes. Want some? I can’t possibly finish all this.”

“I wish I could—I have to go back and…”

“Come on! Jason is too shy to chat with me. I might doze off,” Olivia joked, throwing a glance in Jason’s direction.

She wasn’t sure if he enjoyed being teased, but she was certain he wouldn’t say anything.

“I’d love to, but…” She lifted her basket, revealing the herbs inside.

“I need to finish this. The weather is about to warm up, and some of these herbs won’t survive the change. I need to gather them before it’s too late. I just came in for some water.”

“Let me get that for you,” he offered, rising from his stool to reach the cupboard. He took out a glass, filled it with water from the tap, and placed it on the counter.

“Thank you,” she replied with a smile.

“Take a seat,” Olivia suggested, patting the stool next to her.

“Sure. Thank you.” She slid onto the stool, placing her basket on the counter next to the glass of water.

“Hey, you weren’t injured, were you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard about the attack, that some people were hurt... I hope you weren’t one of them.”

She shook her head. “No, Alex got me out in time.”

Lina smiled.

“That’s a relief. I had a hunch that Alex would rather get hurt himself than let anything happen to you. Mates are known to be protective, but I’ve heard that alphas take it to another level.

“Maybe because they have the power and the command to enforce it.”

Will had been protective of her, but in a harmful way, and he wasn’t even an alpha. “I can’t really say. Even though you’re the human and I’m the wolf, I think you’re more knowledgeable than I am.”

“I wasn’t always. But don’t fret, you’ll learn with time. Besides, you have your wolf.”

“Actually, she’s not. I sort of neglected her for a long time.”

Lina’s fingers tightened around her glass as she frowned. “Why?”

Olivia rubbed her jaw nervously, letting out a small laugh. “It’s a long story. It involves being told that it was wrong.”

“Really?”

Her eyebrows shot up as if she was surprised by her own realization. “I mean,” she said, patting her chest.

“I don’t have a wolf, so I can’t claim to know much. But from what I’ve gathered, it’s not two separate entities. It’s one and the same. It’s hard to believe you don’t know yours.”

“I have a lot to learn.”

If her wolf would allow her, that is. That was the next step. She’d been yearning for it.

To not feel so divided, to not constantly feel like there was a battle raging within her. It would be a welcome change.

Plus, there were times when she felt this urge inside her; a desire to run, to feel the wind against her face, and to keep going without ever stopping.

“You’ll get there,” Lina reassured her, giving her arm a squeeze.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.” She cleared her throat. “And I know I’ve said this before, but I’m sorry you got hurt—before.”

“It’s fine. It’s all in the past now.” At least that’s where she wanted to leave that part of her life.

If life could just stop reminding her of that jerk, she’d be much better off. Maybe some of the blame was on her; she needed to let go of the guilt. Becoming stronger would aid in that.

If she could turn things around, become stronger, and contribute... then perhaps the past wouldn’t weigh so heavily on her.

“Things are better now,” she added. “I have Alex, I have the pack... I have all of you.”

She blushed slightly. “I think I’m done with the endless heats, and I feel better, so.”

“I’m glad,” Lina said, smiling. “I’m so happy for you and Alex. Finding your mate is—indescribable. You two will be very happy together.”

Then, in a sudden shift of mood, Lina clapped her hands together, startling Olivia. ~What on earth~? “Oh, did the mint help last time?”

The mint? What was she talking about?

Her eyes widened as she tried to recall a memory of mint. ~Oh. Right~. The mint—the one she didn’t take.

“You know, I sort of stayed out a bit longer, and then one of the kids came, and hmm, I dropped it. I realized when I came back in but it was too late by then.”

She felt like cringing; why was she lying? It’s not like Lina would be mad. But she’d been so eager to help her. She’d just felt odd chewing on some mint.

“No worries, I have more,” Lina said, smiling as she reached for her basket. She rummaged around inside until she found what she was looking for. “Here you go,” she said, placing some mint on the counter.

“That way if you feel sick again, you’ll have some.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I should get going. Lots of work.” She downed the rest of her water in one gulp and gently placed the glass back on the counter.

“Thanks for the water, Jason.”

“No problem.”

“Liv, feel free to drop by anytime if he bores you. We wouldn’t want you falling asleep.”

Olivia smiled. “Thank you, I’ll remember that.”

Lina left with a small wave, and Olivia waved back.

As she pivoted to face her half-eaten pancakes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the syrup’s sugary aroma was somehow spoiled. Something was amiss. Her palms were slick with sweat and a peculiar sensation was creeping up her fingers.

A wave of nausea rolled in her stomach. She inhaled deeply, trying to identify the unfamiliar scent that was tickling her senses. She recognized this smell.

~Hmm~. It was salty again.

Her nostrils twitched, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was emanating from Lina’s chair. “Jason, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what’s up?” he responded, tearing his gaze away from his phone.

“Can you smell that?”

He sniffed the air, paused for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary.”

“Nothing…salty?”

He sniffed again, and this time he gave a slight nod. “Well, yeah. But I think it’s just Lina’s sweat from working outside.”

Sweat. Of course. Sweat had a salty smell. Maya had drilled that into her during their conversation about using her sense of smell more effectively.

She’d mentioned that she could always sniff out a liar...~because liars sweat~. No, that—it was okay because Jason was probably right. Lina had been working outside. Gardening was hard work. It was natural for her to sweat.

Why wouldn’t she?

“You sure you’re okay?”

Olivia nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Could I get some more coffee, though?”

“Of course.”

She didn’t want to manipulate Jason, but she needed him to look away for a moment so she could think.

She’d detected that salty scent recently. It was the last time she had seen Lina. This was the second time. But people could sweat for a variety of reasons. It didn’t necessarily mean anything.

Except that the last time she saw her, Lina hadn’t been laboring in the fields. She’d been strolling around, free of sweat.

Olivia glanced at the mint on the counter before swiping it away with the back of her hand. ~Mint, really~?

Lina had tried to give her mint for the second time. It could be a harmless gesture. But why was her heart pounding like this?

Was Lina... deceiving her?

And if so... for what reason?